Evaluation of fiber-optic sensing performance for embedded thermal monitoring of electric machinery wound components

This paper investigates the thermal monitoring performance potential of fibre-optic (FO) thermal sensors embedded into the structure of random wound coils. The implications of FO sensor packaging and installation procedure on thermal monitoring performance are assessed on a prototype coil in a series of laboratory experiments in a controlled thermal ambient. It is shown that, while the procedure of embedding the FO sensor into the coil structure alters its operational characteristics to an extent, the resulting in-situ hot spot thermal monitoring provides a reliable output when benchmarked with conventional thermocouple measurements.